Guide for developing-tanks.



h A A I F. M. ALEXANDER.

GUIDE FOR DEVELOPING TANKS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1912.

Patented June 10, 1913..

INVENTOR M Var/242% WW COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 26.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTCE.

FRANK M. ALEXANDER, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

GUIDE FOR DEVELOPING-TANKS.

Application filed July 24, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK M. ifLLFXAllDER, aresident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Guides forDeveloping-Tanks; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to photograph plate developing tanks and hasspecial reference to means for guiding the plates into their respectivecompartments in such tanks.

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap, simple and efficientform of guide for guiding the photographic plates into the proper placesin a rack such as those used in the developing process to be placed inthe developing tank, and a guide which can be attached and detached withease and which can be made from ordinary sheet metal and stamped to theshape designed.

My invention consists, generally stated, in the novel arrangement,construction and combination of parts as hereinafter more specificallyset forth and described and par ticularly pointed out in the claims. 7

To enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains toconstruct and use my improved guide for developing tanks I will describethe same more fully referring to the accompanying drawing in which-Figure 1 is a plan view of the plate rack showing the guide attachedthereto. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the same on the line 22,Fig. 1, showing the guide in its first position. Fig. 3 is across-sectional view on the line 8-3, Fig. 1. Fig. at is an invertedplan view of the guide.

Like symbols of reference herein indicate like parts in each of thefigures of the drawing.

As illustrated in the drawing my device comprises a carriage plate 1formed in the present instance from a flat sheet of metal such as brassor other sheet metal and having one end of the same overlapped at 2 inorder to make a sliding fit with the flange 3 on the side of thedeveloping rack 4. This rack 1 as shown on the drawing is of skeletonform having side plates 5 which are formed so as to make grooves 6 onthe inner face of the rack while the plates are supported by rods 7which are bent around at the top of the same to form the horizontalsupports 8 and are fastened at the bottom Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented June 10, 1913.

Serial No. 711,237.

of the same at the base 9. The grooves in the side plates 5 constituteseats for the photographic plates and are usually six in number and twophotographic plates are supposed to be placed edgewise in thecorresponding grooves in the said plates, but as this work is all donein the dark or with a very faint ruby light it often happens that theplates are not placed in the corresponding grooves but would forinstance be placed with one of their side edges in the first groove 6 onthe one side plate 5 and their other side edges in the second groove 6on the other side plate. his caused a great deal of confusion and thephotographic plates are likely to become scratched or otherwise injuredin being thus placed unevenly in the rack t or in trying to readjust thesame.

The guide 1 is provided on one side of the same with lips 10 and on theother side with lips 11 which extend downward and are adapted to restalternately against the horizontal supports 8 and 8 in order to limitthe motion. of said guide as hereinafter explained. The other end of theguide 1 is provided with a pair of small flanges 12 which bear againstthe edge of the flange 3 in the side of the rack 4: while at the centerof the said end is an extension 13 which extends out over the flange 3and at the center of which is pivoted a small circular disk 1% which hasa flat cut-away portion 15 so that when said fiat portion is moved to aposition parallel with the said end of the guide 1 it will pass over theflange 3 on the side of the rack 1. The disk 14% has a pressed outcenter 15 which is secured to the extension 13 by a rivet 16 or anyother convenient means in order to allow the same to be rotated freelyon said extension as hereinafter explained.

The face or body 1 of the guide 1 is provided with a series oflongitudinal openings 17 forming guides so arranged that when said guidecarriage is in engagement with the rack 1 the openings 17 will bedirectly above alternate corresponding grooves or seats in the saidrack, 2'. 6., in case there would be six grooves in the rack 1 thenumber of openings would be three in the guide carriage and these wouldbe directly over the first, third and fifth grooves or the sec ond,fourth and sixth grooves while intermediate portions of the carriageplate would block entrance to the other seats or grooves.

The openings 17 are formed by cutting the metal and turning up the edgesof the same on either side ot the cut. to torm wings 15 which are curledaround in order to eliminat any rough surfaces or edges and thus insure:1 pcrieclly smooth slide for the photographs without scratching orotherwise injuring the same. The distance between the lips 10 and 11 onthe opposite sides of the guide 1 is just the distance between theoutsides of the h rizontal sup ports 8 and 8 plus the width of onegroove. This is to allow for the moving of the guide for filling thesecond. group of holes or grooves a'tter the first group has been loadedwith photographic plates.

The operation of my improved guide for photo plate racks is as follows:The rack is placed in a position such as shown in Fig. 2 and theoverlapped end is placed over the flange 3 cl said rack and the guidecarriage is then dropped onto the rack so that the lips 10 and 11 extendon the outside of the horizontal supports 8 and 8 and the flanges 19will extend over the flanges 3 on the rack. The small disk 141T is nowrotated so that the circular part of the same will be turned toward therack and will engage with the side plate 5 in order to make a slidingfit therewith. The guide carriage l is now pushed to a position wherethe lips 10 engage with or rest against the horizontal support 8 so thatthe openings 17 in the face of said guide carriage will be directlyabove alternate grooves or seats 6 in the side plates 5, just as shownin 2. The plates (4 are now dropped into their respective openings andrest at the bottom on the base 9 oi the rack a, as shown in Fig. 2,where the plates are shown in three of the grooves. When these groovesare loaded as shown the guide carriage l is pushed over and the rack tis tilted so that the guide carriage will move by its own weight untilthe lips 11 rest against the horizontal support 8'. This will allow theopenings 17 in the face of the guide carriage or plate 1 to be directlyabove the unloaded grooves or seats 6 so that the photographer can thenplace the remaining photographic plates in such grooves and the rackwill thus be entirely loaded and ready to place in the developing tankmade to suit said rack after the guide has been removed.

It will be evident that with such a guide for the photographic plates itwill be impossible to get the plates placed irregularly in the rack, 2'.6., deposed in grooves not di rectly opposite each other as is verycommon at the present time where no guide is used. The wings 18 willalso prevent the sensitive side of the plate from becoming scratched bythe sharp or rough edges which would be present at the edges of theopenings without the use of such wings.

It. is apparent that my improved guide can be made by punching and will.be very inexpensive on account of the cheapness ot the material andsmall amount of labor necessary to finish the same. it will also be verylight, and can be attached and detachcd very rapidly, all of which willprove an advantage in its use in connection with developing tanks.

Various modifications and changes in the design and construction of myimproved guide for photo-(leveloping tanks may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of itsadvantages.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent isl.The combination with a photographic plate rack having a plurality ofrelatively spaced plate seats adapted to receive and retain the plateswhen inserted edgewise therein, of a carriage provided with a pluralityof plate guides correspondingly spaced with reference to the plateseats, said carriage being movable transversely oi? the latter betweentwo positions in one of which its guides are in register with therespective units of one set of seats and in the other of which they arein register with the respective units of different set of seats.

2. The combination with a photographic plate rack having a plurality ofrelatively spaced plate seats adapted to receive and retain the plateswhen inserted edgewise therein, ot' a carriage provided with a pluralityof plate guides correspondingly spaced with reference to the plate seatssaid carriage being movable transversely of the latter between twopositions in one of which its guides are in register with the respectiveunits 01 one set of seats and in the other of which they are in registerwith. he respective units of a diitlerent set of seats, each set ofseats being respectively composed of non-successively arranged units.

3. The combination with a photographic plate rack having a plurality ofrelatively spaced plate seats adapted to receive and retain the plateswhen inserted edgewise there in, of a carriage provided with a pluralityof plate guides correspondingly spaced with reference to the plateseats, said carriage being movable transversely of the latter betweentwo positions in one of which its guides are in register with therespective units of one set of seats and in the other of which they arein register with the respective units of a different set of seats, eachset of seats being respectively composed of units arranged alternatelywith respect to toe units of the other set.

4-. The combination with a photographic plate rack having a plurality ofrelatively spaced plate seats adapted to receive and retain the plateswhen inserted edgewise therein, of a carriage provided with a pluralityof plate guides correspondingly spaced with reference to the plateseats, said carriage being movable transversely of the latter betweentwo positions in one of which its guides are in register with therespective units of one set of seats and in the otherof which they arein register with the respective units of a different set of seats, andmeans for centering the carrier in each of its two positions to insurealinement of the respective seats and guides.

5. The combination with a photographic plate rack having a plurality ofrelatively spaced plate seats adapted to receive and re tain the plateswhen inserted edgewise therein, and opening at one end of the rack, of acarriage plate provided with a plurality of Seats forming plate guidescorrespondingly spaced with reference to the seats, said carriage beingshittable transversely of the latter between two positions in one ofwhich its guides are in register with the respective units or" one setof seats and in the other of which they are in register with therespective units of another set of seats and depending flanges on thecarrier plate adapted to alternately engage opposite sides of the rackto center the carrier plate in its respective positions.

6. The combination with a photographic plate rack having a plurality ofrelatively spaced plate seats adapted to receive and retain the plateswhen presented edgewise thereto, of av carriage shiftable on the rackand provided with a guide adapted to register with different seatstherein, positive interlocking elements on the carriage and one side ofthe rack, respectively, and detachable interlocking elements on saidparts at the other side of the rack.

7. The combination with a photographic plate rack having a plurality ofrelatively spaced plate seats adapted to receive and retain the plateswhen presented edgevvise thereto, of a carriage plate shittable on therack andv provided with a. guide adapted to register with diiterentseats therein, said guide being formed by a slot in the carriage platehaving raised and outwardly or laterally curled side walls.

8. The combination with a photographic plate rack having a plurality ofrelatively spaced plate seats adapted to receive and retain the plateswhen inserted edgewise therein, of a carriage provided with a pluralityof plate guides correspondingly spaced with reference to the plateseats, said carriage being movable transversely of the latter betweentwo positions in one of which its guides are in register with therespective units of one set of seats and in the other of which they arein register with the respective units of a different set of seats, andportions on the carriage arranged to block entrance to the units of oneset of plate seats while the guides are in register with those of theother set.

S). A guide for a photographic plate developing rack, comprising amovable plate having a series of parallel longitudinal openings withinthe same and adapted to register with alternate corresponding plateholding grooves in said rack, means for limiting the movementof saidguide on said rack to insure said openings registering with said groovesand means on said guide for holding the same on Said rack.

In testimony whereof, I the said FRANK M. ALEXANDER have hereunto set myhand.

FRANK M. ALEXANDER.

W itnesses T. B. HUMPHRIEs, J. N. CooKn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

